Theater-chair.



F. J KERBEL.

THEATER CHAIR.

APPLICATION. FILED MAY II, 1914.

L llfififi yfio Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

WITNESSES ATTORNEY FREDRICK J. KEBQBEL, OF SIEHQJJYLLE WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR T ROBERT J. NODERER, L 01? SEATTLE, WASHINGTON; i

THEATER-CHAIR.

Specification of Iietters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2%; 1915..

Application filed May 11, 1914. Serial No. 837,873.

- chairs that are adapted .for use in theaters,

music halls and like places of public as sembly, and the object of my improvement is to provide chairs which, in the usual manner, can be disposed within an auditorium in series of rows having but little space between adjacent rows, and which, by their plan of construction, will permit the occupants of such chairs to remain seated while persons are traversing the length of the space between such occupants and the back of the adjacent row. I accomplish this object by devices illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a theater chair embodying my invention showing certain parts removed, better to illustrate certain other parts; Fig, 2 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a portion of the frame of the chair; Fig. 3 IS a view in perspective of parts of the same; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a modified form of my invention; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in perspective of another modified form of my" invention, and Fig. 6 is a View in perspective of a detail of the structure illustrated in Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like reference numerals indicate like parts, 10 is one of the side frames of a theater chair, the opposite similar side frame of such chair being removed for purposes of illustration and such side frames 10 are disposed to rest upon a floor 11 and are secured together by a strip 12 that extends crosswise thereof on the rear side of the chair. The side frames 10 are each provided with two inwardly projecting rollers 13 and 14 that are adapted to project within slots 15 and 16 that are provided in the horizontal portions of an L-shaped seat and back suports 17 whereby such supports 17 may roll ackwardly and forwardly on the rollers 13 and 14, the extent of such backward and forward movement being limited by the length of the slots 15 and 16, the vertical portions of the supports 17 are fixedly secured by a seat back 18 and the horizontal portions of such supports 17 are secured to each other by a cross bar'19 upon which cross bar 19 may be pivoted a chair seat 20 which chair seat 20 is provided on each of its rear corners with stops or brackets 21, 21, as more clearly shown in Fig. 3, which are adapted to permit the front edge of the chair seat 20 to be raised to cause such. seat to assume a substantially vertical position, and which are further adapted to engage with the lowermost side of the supports 17 to prevent such chair seat from being lowered past a substantially horizontal position. In Fig. 1 I have shown the supports 17 and their associated parts at the limit of their. backward movement but when the chair is in use the weight of an occupant will cause such supports to roll forwardly on the rollers 13 and 14 until such rollers 13 and 14 engage with the rear ends of the slots 15 and 16 to stop further forward movement and the chair will femain in this position unless force is exerted to move the seat and back portions rearward.

In theaters, halls and the like places where large'crowds of people are to be seated the chairs are usually arranged in a series of rows one behind the other and in order to utilize to the best advantage the floor space of such places the rows of chairs are placed so close together that when a person attempts to pass between adjacent rows to reach an unoccupied chair distant from an aisle it becomes necessary for persons, who are seated between such unoccupied chair and such aisle, to arise to give passageway thus causing great inconvenience, but where seats constructed in accordance with my invention are used, the person seated may, by exerting a slight pressure of the feet upon the floor,

recess 23 in which an L shaped seat and back support of a theater chair may slide, such support being held in its correct position within the channel 23 and be limited in its forward and rearward sliding movement by pins 25 and 26 that pass through a slot 27 in the horizontal arm 24:.

In Figs. 5 and 6, wherein I have illustrated another modified form of my invention, 28 is the side support of a theater chair which support is provided with a shallow channel shaped trackway 29 within which may be disposed to roll wheels 30 and 31 that are rotatably mounted on the horizontal arm 32 of a seat and back support of a theater chair such support being held in its correct position and. being stopped in its backward and forward movement by a stud or pin 33 that is adapted to extend through a slot 3-1 that is provided in the horizontal arm 32.

bviously changes may be made inthe arrangement of parts and mechanical construction of details embodied in my theater chair without departing from the spirit of the horizontal arm 24 of my invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

What I claim is In a chair of the class described, the combination with rigid side supporting members, each having a plurality of inwardly disposed horizontally alined rollers, of L-shaped seat and back supporting members provided with spaced horizontally alined slots in the lower legs thereof engaging over the rollers, a bar connecting the lower legs of the L-shaped members intermediate the slots in the respective members, a back carried by the upper legs of the L-shap ed members, and a seat pivoted to said bar, said seat being provided with lugs arranged to engage beneath the rear ends of the lower legs of the back supporting members when the seat is in position for occupancy.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 14th day of April, A. D. 1914.

FREDRICK J. KERBEL. WVitnesses:

M. S. CURTAN, E. G. JOHNSON. 

